Theresa May has once again prevaricated from making serious decisions about our future

Commenting on Theresa May’s Brexit speech at Mansion House, Vince Cable MP Leader of the Liberal Democrats, said:

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News story: Military support for snow relief

Updated: 05 MARCH UPDATE
– Military assistance in Lincolnshire, Devon, Shropshire, Hampshire, Manchester, Wiltshire and Scotland has now completed. One Chinook has been deployed to airlift supplies to areas of Cumbria on 05 March. 328 personnel and 124 4×4 vehicles have been used to assist emergency services with the snow response.

The military has used vehicles and personnel to transport essential NHS staff to hospitals and vulnerable people in the community. The military has supported local police forces to assist people stranded on motorways and have used aircraft to transport supplies to areas cut off by the snow.

On Friday 2 March, the Defence Secretary met with soldiers from 1 Royal Irish, who were carrying out vital work transporting health workers in the Shropshire area, which was hit by heavy snow.

Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said:

Our Armed Forces are doing an incredible job up and down the country, helping the emergency services, local authorities, and the NHS supporting those in need.

From Scotland to Cornwall, more than 100 personnel from across the forces are making a real difference in getting nurses and doctors to vulnerable and elderly patients, and helping rescue those left stranded in freezing conditions.

I pay tribute to their professionalism, dedication and sense of duty. They are proving once again that Britain can always depend on our troops to protect us no matter the time, no matter the place, and no matter the problem.

I witnessed for myself the vital role they are playing in helping the British people during the treacherous weather which has caused so much difficulty for so many people.

I am extremely grateful for all that our personnel are doing and will continue to do over the weekend – and I want to thank them for answering calls for help across the country.

Military assistance to date:

  • 20 RAF personnel and 10 4×4 RAF vehicles transported health staff to hospitals and communities in Lincolnshire.
  • The military assisted Greater Manchester Police to enable them to access and assist motorists on the M62
  • Army soldiers and 10 4×4 vehicles transported NHS Scotland staff needed to deliver critical care services to and from Edinburgh Royal Infirmary and the Western General Hospital. Reservists from the Scottish and Northern Irish Yeomanry were utilised alongside a further 20 4x4s from across the three services in Tayside and Fife to support NHS Scotland.
  • 20 Army soldiers and 10 4x4s transported health staff to hospitals and support health workers in visiting vulnerable people in the community in Shropshire.
  • 20 Royal Marines and 10 4×4 vehicles transported health staff to hospitals and communities in Devon and Cornwall
  • The military provided 10 vehicles and personnel to transport NHS workers in the Salisbury and Swindon area
  • One Chinook has been deployed to deliver supplies to communities in Cumbria that have been cut off due to snowdrifts.

Military assistance in numbers:

  • 328 personnel have helped with the snow response
  • 124 4×4 vehicles have been mobilised
  • 1 Chinook has been deployed

Armed Forces personnel have also volunteered in their own time to help those in need.

There are always three UK standby battalions held at high readiness to respond to UK contingencies and emergencies, including support to local authorities. We have the right people with the right training to respond to a range of contingencies.



Indicative programme – Environment Council of 5 March 2018

Press contacts

Katharina Pausch-Homblé
Press officer
+32 2 281 62 63
+32 470 88 42 96

Place:
Europa building, Brussels 

Chair:
 Neno Dimov, Minister of Environment and Water of the Republic of Bulgaria

All times are approximate and subject to change

from 08.00
Arrivals (Europa building VIP entrance)

+/- 08.50
Doorstep by Minister Dimov

+/- 10.00
Beginning of Environment Council meeting (Roundtable)
Adoption of the agenda
Approval of non-legislative A items

+/- 10.10
Circular Economy Action Plan
Plastics Strategy
The interface between chemicals, products and waste 

+/- 12.10
Any other business:
– 21st European Forum on Eco-innovation for air quality
– Global Pact for the Environment
– Eliminate deforestation from supply chains
– Invasive alien species
– Commercial trade in raw ivory
– REACH review
– CO2 standards for cars and vans (live streaming)
– Shipping and the International Maritime Organization
– Climate change: UNFCCC COP24

+/- 13.25
Working lunch discussion on eco-innovation in the context of the circular economy

+/- 15.00
Greening the European Semester

+/- 16.30
Press conference (Justus Lipsius press room live streaming)



EASO guidance on contingency planning in the context of reception

Following the release of its EASO Guidance on reception conditions: operational standards and indicators in December 2016, EASO has just issued the EASO guidance on contingency planning in the context of reception.

The high-influx situation in 2015 and 2016 has exposed the need for EU + states to be better prepared to deal with disproportionate numbers of asylum seekers. Reception authorities need to strengthen their ability to cope with possible volatile situations that can put reception systems under high pressure. Contingency planning ensures a rapid and well-thought-out response to any extreme situation or event. As a result, contingency planning should always be undertaken when there is a risk or a high probability that a high-influx situation may occur.

The purpose of this guidance is multiple: It is meant to serve as an aid to the detailed planning and management of the various actors in a high-influx situation and to facilitate early action against a potentially serious situation. It is also a tool to help manage future uncertainty by developing responses in advance when there is a risk or probability that a high-influx situation may occur.  It will help reception authorities to anticipate and solve problems that arise in situations that require an immediate response.

The Guidance focuses on key aspects of contingency planning in the field of reception, through an integral approach, notably on monitoring and evaluation, risk analysis, management and decision making process. The standards included in the document reflect existing and commonly agreed practice across EU Member States, as well as good practices identified across the EU. This is a framework for contingency planning including guidance and the sharing of best practices in order to enhance preparedness for emergencies.

The development process of the Guidance followed a consultative approach, aimed at gathering expertise from Member States and other relevant actors in the field of reception. The draft document was developed by a working group of experts from EU Member States with the support of a reference group consisting of the European Commission, the UNHCR and the Red Cross EU office.

The Guidance is available in English on the EASO website at:
https://www.easo.europa.eu/sites/default/files/easo-guidance-contingency-planning-2018.pdf

The document is currently being translated into 22 EU languages, which will be made available on the Agency’s website in the coming months.
 



EMA urgently reviewing multiple sclerosis medicine Zinbryta following cases of inflammatory brain disorders

02/03/2018

Medicine to be voluntarily withdrawn from the market by the company

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has started an urgent review of the multiple sclerosis medicine Zinbryta (daclizumab) following 7 cases of serious inflammatory brain disorders in Germany, including encephalitis and meningoencephalitis, and one case in Spain.

In parallel to the start of the review, the company that markets Zinbryta (Biogen Idec Ltd) has informed EMA of its intention to voluntarily withdraw the medicine’s marketing authorisations.

Doctors in the EU will be contacted directly in the coming days with further information. Until then EMA advises that:

  • doctors should not start new patients on Zinbryta;
  • doctors should review patients currently treated with Zinbryta and initiate alternative therapy, as soon as possible;
  • patients must not stop their medication without discussing with their doctor;
  • patients who have any questions should talk to their doctor.

The company has also informed EMA of its decision to stop ongoing clinical studies with Zinbryta in the EU. Patients in clinical studies who have any question should contact the doctor treating them in their study.

EMA will communicate further as necessary.

More about the medicine

Zinbryta is authorised for treating relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis. Following a 2017 review of the medicine’s effects on the liver, the use of the medicine was restricted to patients who have tried at least two other disease-modifying treatments and cannot be treated with any other multiple sclerosis treatments.

To date over 8,000 patients have been treated with Zinbryta worldwide. The majority of EU patients have been treated in Germany.

More information is available on the medicine’s dedicated webpage.

More about the procedure

The review of Zinbryta was initiated following a request from the European Commission on 26 February 2018, under Article 20 of Regulation (EC) No 726/2004.

The initial review is being carried out by the Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee (PRAC), the Committee responsible for the evaluation of safety issues for human medicines, which will make a set of recommendations.